#539 Julia Fordham – Porcelain

This vinyl LP is a recent ‘€1 from cratedigging at a Record Fair’ addition to my collection, but my knowledge of the album goes way back. 1993, my second year at Uni, and the dear friend who was to become my first girlfriend made a mixtape for me – back in the days that people …

#547 Furniture – When The Boom Was On

Brilliant Mind is one of the most perfectly brilliant songs of the 1980s. I fell in love with it instantly when heard on the radio in 1986 at the age of 13. And then I heard nothing more from the band that created this brilliance, Furniture. Sadly, very few people did, since their record company …

#140 Sir John Betjeman – Late Flowering Love

Sir John Betjeman was the British Poet Laureate from 1972 to his death in 1984. He was a much-loved cultural figure, featuring regularly on TV and radio, championing architecture, Victoriana and English towns. I was aware of him at an early age since he had a bit of a thing for Diss, my hometown from …

#460 Duke Ellington – 70th Birthday Concert

This double gatefold album, recorded at Manchester Free Trade Hall in 1969, demonstrates just how superlative the talent of Duke Ellington was and that of the band he created and directed. It acts almost as a ‘greatest hits’ featuring wonderful versions of his classics such as Take the ‘A’ Train, Rockin’ in Rhythm, Things Ain’t …

#126 Ludwig Van Beethoven – Symphony No 7

Herbert von Karajan looks absolutely majestic on this album cover photo. It’s one of the reasons I bought this record (€1 at a Record Fair) when I already had the music on CD (on the randometer with Symph 5 back in January 2019). Karajan is without doubt one of the greatest conductors of the 20th …

#834 Meat Loaf – Bat Out Of Hell

The pop-epic that is Bat Out Of Hell somehow passed me by. You’d think I’d been avoiding it deliberately given that it’s one of the greatest selling albums of all time. In the UK it’s never been out of the charts, behind only Rumours and Dark Side of the Moon for longevity. But my ownership …

#680 The Ink Spots – The Best Of

It was one of my ex-girlfriends that first got me into The Ink Spots, about 20 years ago. She had this Best Of album on vinyl but took it with her when she left (most inconsiderate) so I was delighted to find it in a Record Fair a couple of years ago for the fine …

#691 Jethro Tull – Aqualung

This is 35 years and musical worlds away from Joanna Newsom in terms of casual listening, but not so far in practice. A classical instrument played by the lead singer (Ian Anderson’s flute to Newsom’s harp), a folkish background, and a complex, intellectual set of lyrics; here, a fierce yet articulate deconstruction of Christianity. This …

#1179 S’Express – Theme from S’Express

“Enjoy this trip. Enjoy this trip. And it is a trip.” This single helped kick off the acid-house infused Second Summer of Love in the UK, being released in April 1988 and making it to No 1 in the charts for a couple of weeks. I remember it well. I was 15 at the time. …

#1449 Various Artists – Spirit of Rock

Probe Records was a short-lived label housed under ABC Records operating from 1970-1974. Arguably their most interesting signing was Soft Machine, and they released both the first and second of their albums. Though starting in a proggy psychedelic vein with signings such as Rare Bird and Little Zephyr, none of those artists appear on this …